The last Sunday when entire India was asleep, Assam, on the other hand, was in deep pain. Something inhuman happened in the valley. Two young innocent boys Abhijit Nath and Nilutpal Das were brutally killed by an outraged mob in Panjuri Kachari village, 16 km from Dokmoka town, Karbi Anglong District, Assam. The reason behind the outraged killing was the rumour of the two boys being Child-lifters or ‘Faagadou’ as the Karbi People call it.

Unfortunately, this heinous incident only shook the NE India but not entire India. Nation dailies and so-called National Media was busy reporting the abandoned Ex-CM Akhilesh Bungalow and Mumbai Floods which is obvious and a seasonal event. Probably, the loss of human life is the least important than the news of Mumbai and Akhilesh. Or maybe, the incident happened so far away from national capital Delhi, that the national media thought, news of Northeast India is not that delicious to cover and telecast. Personally, I don’t care, because these so-called national media have never cared to cover NE India or tried to upheld its problem to the nation’s attention.

But before pointing fingers to all I have mentioned above, it is our fellow Assamese people of Karbi Anglong are to be blamed killing two innocent Assamese boys in their own state, Assam. They were music lovers and professionally involved in creating music. Such kind of artists often finds inspiration in greenery or amidst nature. While they were wandering in search of a waterfall near Panjuri Village, they were attacked by the rumour-driven mob and battered to death.

The incident in short:

The inhuman incident happened when a mysterious man ‘Alpha’ informed a group of villagers about two men traveling in a black car with an abducted child; adding a message ‘Faagadao’ which means Child-lifters. These few villagers were drinking in the countryside boozing store. They immediately called upon more villagers to trace the car and catch them red-handed. The mob stopped the car and surrounded the two boys inside. The village elders tried to stop them from hitting the boys, but they did not listen to the oldies.

The two boys were on their way to the Kanthi Langso picnic spot when their vehicle was stopped and attacked by those outraged villagers at Panjuri Kachari village, 16 km from Dokmoka town, at around 8:42 PM last Sunday. The lives of the two boys, Nilotpal Das and Abhijit Nath were cut short finally by that outraged mob as they were brutally hit by bamboo poles and wood and tortured to death.

About the two guys:

The thirty-year-old Nilutpal Das is a permanent resident of Guwahati, Assam had been involved in an event management company with his friends in Goa called Sema Luna. As all believe, he was a promising musician. He was popularly known to be playing traditional musical instruments like the Didgeridoo, Djembe and the mouth harp. His father, Gopal Chandra Das, is a retired railway officer and his mother, Radhika Das, a teacher at a government school in the city.

Abhijit Nath, a twenty-eight was a local contractor from Guwahati. His father, Ajit Nath, is an Agriculture Department personnel and his mother, Shashiprava Nath, is a retired history professor of a government college in Assam.

The aftermath of lynching- Consequences and Situation in Assam:

This inhuman, barbarous incident in the Karbi Valleys has triggered a sense of revenge for Karbis and Bodos in the state. It has seen violent repercussion from the mainland Assam and social media support all throughout the state. The people have come out in mass and protesting, seeking justice for the two boys from the Assam administration which has been sleeping for long quoting similar incidents a few years back.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered a probe into the incident and directed Additional Director General of Police, Mukesh Agarwal, to move to the spot.

Till now, the Assam Police have arrested 16 people in connection with the lynching of Nilotpal and Abhijit in Karbi Anglong district. The arrested persons have been booked under Section 302/34 of IPC, and interrogation is going on.

Conclusion:

This is not the Assam I have known. The people residing in Assam, be it ethnic or people from urban or rural know how to live in harmony and common brotherhood. But this incident boiled up the blood of Assamese People. This could turn serious if the revenge-seeking people are not properly checked by the local administration. The thing is, the justice has to be made and the murderers directly involved should be held in the court of law. The villagers witnessing the incident should be advised by the local administrations and district police should remain vigilant from now on. And, we at Thousand Miles pray for the two innocent souls and may their souls find peace.